What the Auditors Expected to Find in the Plano Independent School District

Common indicators for meeting Standard 2 are:

• a clearly established, systemwide set of goals and objectives that addresses all programs and courses and is adopted by the board of education
• demonstration that the system is contextually responsive to national, state, and other expectations as evidenced in local initiatives
• operations set within a framework that carries out the system's goals and objectives
• evidence of comprehensive, detailed, short- and long-range curriculum management planning
• knowledge, local validation, and use of current best curricular practices
• written curriculum that addresses both current and future needs of students
• major programmatic initiatives designed to be cohesive
• provision of explicit direction for the superintendent and professional staff
• a framework that exists for systemic curricular change

What the Auditors Found in the Plano Independent School District

The auditors found adequacy in the scope of curriculum direction of the system. The written curriculum was hampered with inadequate curriculum guide quality. Instruction is idiosyncratic and widely varied and the use of effective teaching practices varied considerably. The instructional setting was very pleasant, and the leadership in curriculum development, design, and delivery was not guided by a coherent developmental model. Articulation and coordination were insufficient for congruence and consistency across the system.